Matthew (Matt) Jacobs

Matthew (Matt) Jacobs is Of Counsel in Lieff Cabraser’s San Francisco office. The former General Counsel for the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), Matt has more than 40 years of experience in complex litigation, crisis management, government investigations, and public-sector leadership.

Prior to joining CalPERS in 2014, Matt was a litigation partner at DLA Piper LLP, where he co-chaired the White Collar and Government Investigations Practice Group. Before that, he held senior roles in both private practice and public service, including at the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California. At the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division. Matt’s practice focuses on domestic and international securities fraud, antitrust, and healthcare and consumer fraud cases.

Matt is a frequent speaker and author on corporate governance, fiduciary responsibility, and institutional investor issues. He has served on the boards of the Council of Institutional Investors and the National Association of Corporate Directors, Northern California Chapter, and on the steering committee for the Cambridge Forum’s Committee for International Forum for General Counsel–Asset Owners. He is also an adjunct professor of law at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law and serves as a Judge Pro Tem in Sacramento Superior Court. Matt is active in civic and professional organizations, serving on the executive boards of WEAVE (the rape crisis center for Sacramento County) and the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.